How do individuals with autism plan their movements?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research
Published on: July 31, 2017
Cheryl M Glazebrook1, Digby Elliott, Peter Szatmari
1Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Ivor Wynne Centre, AB108, L8S 4K1, Hamilton, ON, Canada. bezalg@mcmaster.ca
Abstract:
Two experiments investigated how persons with and without autism plan manual aiming movements when advance information is direct and when strategic planning is required. In Experiment 1 advance information about hand, direction, and/or movement amplitude was manipulated. Reaction times suggested both groups adopted a hierarchical pattern of movement planning. In Experiment 2, participants performed aiming movements to one of two targets that were the same or different size. Participants without autism varied the starting location in anticipation of specific target stimuli whereas participants with autism consistently selected the midpoint. Overall, individuals with autism used advance information to plan their movements when this information was direct. However, their performance became stereotyped when strategies were self-generated.
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